Alan A. Aja

Alan A. Aja is assistant professor and deputy chair in the Department of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies. His latest publications include pieces on affirmative action with Daniel Bustillo in the Journal of Public Law and Policy (forthcoming, fall 2014), federal jobs guarantee with Darrick Hamilton, William Darity, Jr. and Daniel Bustillo in Social Research (fall 2013), democratic rights with Miranda Martinez in Latino/a Research Review (fall 2012), and black/Latino coalitions in Souls: A Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture and Society (fall 2012). Before academia, Aja worked as a labor organizer in Texas, an environmental researcher in Cuba, a human rights organizer in Argentina and in a refugee hostel in London. His current research explores the lives of Afro-Cubans in South Florida, and he is assisting on a documentary/news piece by filmmaker Rudy Valdez on the impact of mandatory minimum sentencing policies on families.

Education:

M.A., Brandeis University, Heller Graduate School for Management and Social Policy - 2000 (Sustainable International Development)

B.A., University of Kentucky, College of Arts & Sciences - 1997 (Sociology/Communication)

Areas of Expertise:

Race, gender and class issues between and among Latino and African American communities; government responses to labor market/housing discrimination and institutionalized racism; inter-group disparities, immigration/education policy; identity formation; social and economic segregation; sustainable development and collective action/unionization.

Books and Publications

"Professing and Parenting to the Test: Education Reform and the Testing Madness." The Huffington Post, Oct. 30. (Books and Publications: Other Article) 2013

Aja, Alan, William Darity Jr. and Darrick Hamilton. "Don't Cut, Invest! Why the Obama Administration Should Support a Federal Jobs Guarantee Program!" The Huffington Post, March 12. (Books and Publications: Other Article) 2013

Aja, Alan, William Darity Jr. and Darrick Hamilton. "If Not Race, Then Wealth: Why Universities Should Avoid Income as Proxy for Race-Based Admissions Policy." The Huffington Post, Jan. 10. (Books and Publications: Other Article) 2013

Aja, Alan, William Darity, Jr. and Darrick Hamilton. "Refusing Austerity in America: How Baby Bonds Could Expand Social Security." Black/Latino Voices, The Huffington Post, April 26. (Books and Publications: Other Article) 2013

Aja, Alan, William Darity, Jr. and Darrick Hamilton. "Segregated Education in Desegregated Schools: Why We Should Eliminate Tracking With 'Gifted and Talented' for All." Black/Latino Voices/Education, The Huffington Post, June 17. (Books and Publications: Other Article) 2013

"Loving Our Neighbor: A Report on Public Education." Report writer/contributor and taskforce member for Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy, Presbyterian Church (USA). Publication approved by General Assembly, July. (Books and Publications: Other Article) 2010

"From Si se Puede to Yes We Can." Review of Beyond the Fields: Cesar Chavez, the UFW and the Struggle for Justice in the 21st Century, by Randy Shaw. New Politics XII.3, Summer: 47. (Books and Publications: Book Review) 2009

Aja, Alan and Anne Hoffman. "The Influence of Religion on Latino Political Participation in the US." Latino Religions Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. (Books and Publications: Chapter) 2009

PSC-CUNY/Office of Research and Graduate Studies/William Stewart Travel Grant Recipient, delegate for "Labour in the Academy, Global Challenges in a Neo-Liberal Age." International Exchange in Yorkshire (Leeds and Bradford, England), United Kingdom, April. (Grants and Fellowships) 2009

Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums

Invited panelist on book research: "Eviction and Invisibility in the Cuban Enclave: Afro-Cubans on Miami's Margins." SIGLO XXI: Forging the Future of Latinos in a Time of Crisis-Conference. John Jay College, New York, Feb. 25. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2012

"Welcoming the Stranger: Undocumented Immigrants in the Age of Obama." Faculty Day panelist. Brooklyn College. May. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Contributed Talk) 2011